Eclipse is an open source community whose projects are focused on building an open development platform comprised of extensible frameworks, tools and runtimes for building, deploying and managing software across the lifecycle.

Ant (Apache Ant) is a software tool designed to automate software build processes. It is kind of and advanced “make” tool but Ant Build is written in Java and itself requires a Java platform, and is best suited to building Java projects.

But Ant Build isn’t just to build and deploy Java projects. Also it can be used to deploy everything with!

Here’s an Oracle Database example project : You might have implemented a litte new release on the departements application. So let’s name it. We call this project: “Dep2.2” This is what’s included in Dep2.2 : 2.2.A.1: new sql script: dep2.2_alter_department_table.sql 2.2.A.2: new sql script: dep2.2_insert_department_data.sql 2.2.A.3: new sql script: dep2.2_transfer_employees.sql 2.2.B.1: new oracle forms: dep_department_s_fmb 2.2.B.2: new oracle forms: dep_employee_s_fmb 2.2.B.3: new oracle forms: dep_metadata_s_fmb 2.2.B.4: new oracle forms: dep_department_list_s_fmb 2.2.C.1: new oracle reports: dep_department_list_r.rdf 2.2.C.2: new oracle reports: dep_dep_employee_list_r.rdf

So I have to run the sql scripts, compile the forms and reports, deploy the binary files to its rumtime directories …. All this word should be done on each stage: developement-, test- and production-environment. So lets calculate: 9 scripts, 2 deployments, 3 stages: 9 * 2 * 3 = 54 steps. By hand, this is pretty much work to do. And it’s boring because I do the same all the time.

This 54 steps can be automated with Ant Build and Eclipse! 🔗

Here’s what you have to do:

Your local Filestructure :

P:\dev_build Personal deployment direcotry. Ant BUILD.XML files will allway delete this directory before redeploy into.

P:\dev_config Person configuration directory to save Ant Build Properties and Ant Build Files in general.

P:\dev_vss Personal source directory. Can be the Source-Control working directory for example.

Create the Ant Build config files (xml):

P:\dev_config\build.user.properties # ==================== # DB Connection: # oracle.user = user1111 oracle.target = myDatabase Create an Ant Build script (xml):

<target name=“build”

description="(MASTER) Runs all nessessary."

depends=“cleanBuild”>

…. and run it against each environment stage (developement, testing, production).

Tip: When getting an Ant Build error (no parameter window, or kind of this) then try to: - right click on the build.xml file - click on “Run Ant” - On the “modify attributes and launch” dialogue click on the JRE tab. - Runtime JRE: Choose “Run in the same JRE as the workspace”. - Close … and rund the Ant Build again.

Update on Eclipse and Ant Build Deployment Process 🔗

In the year 2024, the use of Eclipse as an open development platform and Ant for automated build processes remains relevant in the software development industry. Eclipse continues to be a widely utilized open source community for building, deploying, and managing software projects across the lifecycle. On the other hand, Ant, known for its ability to automate software build processes, is still a valuable tool for developers, particularly in Java projects.

One notable change in the software development landscape from the year 2011 to 2024 is the increased complexity and scale of projects. As technology advances, the need for efficient deployment processes becomes even more critical. Developers are now tasked with managing larger codebases, handling diverse technologies, and ensuring seamless deployment in various environments such as development, testing, and production.

For instance, consider a scenario where a new release, let’s call it Dep 2.0, of a departmental application is being developed. This release includes various components such as SQL scripts, Oracle Forms, and Oracle Reports. To deploy these components effectively across different environments, a structured approach using Ant Build and Eclipse is essential.

To automate the deployment process, developers can follow these steps in the year 2024:

1. Local File Structure: Set up a local file structure with directories for development, configuration, source code, and deployment.
2. Ant Build Configurations: Create Ant Build XML files to define the build process, including tasks for compiling forms, deploying binaries, and running SQL scripts.
3. Configuration Directory: Define a configuration directory to save Ant Build properties and files for easy access.
4. Database Connection: Configure database connections in the Ant Build script to ensure seamless deployment to the target database.

By automating the deployment process using Ant Build and Eclipse, developers can streamline the deployment of binary files, compile forms and reports, and ensure consistency across different stages of development. This automation reduces manual effort, minimizes errors, and improves overall efficiency in software deployment.

In case of encountering any errors during the Ant Build process, developers can troubleshoot by modifying the runtime JRE settings in Eclipse. By selecting the appropriate JRE configuration and relaunching the Ant Build, developers can address any parameter issues and ensure a smooth deployment process.

Overall, the combination of Eclipse as an open development platform and Ant for automated build processes continues to be a valuable asset for developers in the year 2024. As software projects become more complex and demanding, efficient deployment processes are essential for delivering high-quality software solutions in a timely manner. By leveraging the capabilities of Eclipse and Ant Build, developers can effectively manage deployments across multiple environments and streamline the software development lifecycle.